Shaykh Kabbani is one of the world’s most renowned scholars of Islamic history and the spiritual science of Sufism. As deputy leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order, Shaykh Kabbani also serves as a guide and teacher to approximately 2 million Muslims throughout the world, particularly in the United States, England, and Southeast Asia.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Medical studies in Louvain, Belgium.

Degree in Islamic Divine Law, Damascus, Syria.

License to teach, guide and counsel students in Islamic spirituality from the renowned Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil, authority of the Hanafi school of Islamic law in the Middle East and world leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order.

Current Positions Held

Chairman, Islamic Supreme Council of America

Chairman, Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order of America

Chairman, As-Sunnah Foundation of America

Founder, Sufi Muslim Council UK and the Center for Spirituality and Cultural Advancement UK

Recent Accomplishments

March 2010

Conducted a tour of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Kenya to meet with clerics and community leaders
about the preservation of traditional Muslim culture; and met with Ivory Coast president, His Excellency Laurent Gbagbo, and Kenyan Prime Minister, His Excellency Raila Amolo Odinga to discuss the rise of Islamist radicalism in Africa and the concurrent destruction of ancient Muslim culture.

February 2010

Founder of new registered UK charity which hosted HRH Prince of Wales for its launch event “Spirituality in Action”

June 2009

Met with opposition leader of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, and other government officials.

May 2009

Celebration of Prophet Muhammad Birthday attended by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono along with 250,000 members of the public at Masjid Istiqlal, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.

April 2009

Celebrated Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday at the House of Commons. attended by Rt. Hon. Hazel Anne Blears, UK Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, UK Home Secretary.

November 2008

Met with His Excellency Rathnasiri Wickramanayake, the Prime minister of Sri Lanka to discuss on how and what help is needed by the Muslims pertaining to the current situation in Sri Lanka.

November 2008

Met with His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, the President of Sri Lanka to present views on Terrorism and how can peace be brought to Sri Lanka.

March 2008

Guest of Honor for the first interfaith house of worship in Los Angeles, California

March 2008

Host of the 2nd Preventing Extremism Road Show across the UK

December 2007

Host of the 1st Preventing Extremism Road Show across the UK

August 2007

Personally guest of Colonel Qaddafi of Libya to discuss curtailing the threat of Islamist radicalism

June 2006

Met with His Royal Highness Princes Charles of England to discuss the importance of Sufism in Islam and to promote universal spirituality amongst all people.

March 2006

Briefed the staff of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on suggestions for its public diplomacy outreach to the Muslim community.

February 2006

Met personally with U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney to present his views on the cures of Islamist radicalism.

February 2006

Met with Ms. Fran Townshend, Assistant to the U.S. President for Homeland Security, and her deputy, Mr. Juan Zarate, to also discuss the cures for Islamist radicalism and responses to the “cartoon controversy”.

July 2005 & Jan 2006

Held private meetings with President Susilo Bambang Yudiyono of Indonesia and Vice President Yusuf Kalla to strengthen ongoing joint projects on “Jihadi rehabilation” for Indonesian youth.

April 2005

Met with England’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to discuss current situation of Islam in Europe.

March 2005

Attended White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Leadership Conference and met with President Bush at a round table on the initiative.

December 2004

Chief guest and speaker “Global Challenges in Islam” Seminar, Singapore. Over three days spoke in three different religious forums. Met with Singapore’s Minister of Council of Islamic Affairs (MUIS), State Minister of Foreign Affairs and the State Minister for Education. Met with Rohan Gunaratna, Head of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, to discuss methods for promoting traditional Islam and assisting “recovering” terrorists.

December 2004

Principal keynote speaker and host, International Conference of Scholars and Activists, Jakarta, Indonesia under the theme “Islam & Civil Society in the 21st Century: A Path to Transformation” addressing the topic “Principles of Leadership in War & Peace” detailing the illegitimacy of terrorism and the prohibition of suicide as a means of combat in Islam. Addressed the Friday sermon at two of Jakarta’s largest mosques and hosted during the conference, HRH Prince Raja Muda Nazrin Azlan Shah, Pro-Chancellor, University of Malaya and Crown Prince of Malaysia’s state of Perak, Dato Hishammudin Tun Hussein, Malaysia’s Minister of Education, Dato Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Malaysia’s Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Shaykh Hazyim Muzadi, Head of Indonesia’s largest NGO, Nahdatul Ulama, US Ambassador B. Lynn Pascoe and other dignitaries at the conference.

December 2004

Met with Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla at his home in Jakarta to discuss issues of state.

November 2004

Guest at the White House for the President Bush Annual Ramadan Dinner.

August 2004

Attended Sidi Shekir Conference on “Importance of Spirituality in Human Affairs,” in Marrakech, Morocco, under the patronage HRM King Mohamad VI and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

June 2004

Keynote speaker at the northern California-based Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center (IECRC) second annual conference.

June 2004

Met with His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan and presented him with an invitation to Islamic leaders’ conference, Indonesia, winter 2004.

Keynote speaker at conference, “Beyond Radical Islam?” held by LeFrak Forum and Symposium on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy at Michigan State University and the Ethics and Public Policy Center of Washington, DC.

January 2004

Met with His Excellency Recep Tayyib Erdogan Prime Minister of Turkey to discuss building interfaith dialogue between US academics and scholars and their Turkish counterparts.

January 2004

Keynote speech to annual board meeting of the American Foreign Policy Council.

December 2003

Represented US Muslims at 3-day interfaith conference of international religious leaders held in Spain.

October 2003

Joined President George W. Bush for Iftar at the White House. Gave the keynote address at the Nixon Center conference on Sufism and US Policy.

November 2002

Met with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, respectively, at White House and State Department events for Ramadan.

September 2002

Met with President George W. Bush for his official Proclamation of the Days of Remembrance and Prayers September 6-9, 2002.

August 2002

Invited as a guest of the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, to visit the republic and explore issues of religious educational development.

July 2002

Presented a paper entitled “Understanding Sharia” at the Freedom House conference in Washington, DC, as well as a paper on “Islam and Democracy” for the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

March 2002

Met with Asst. Secretary of Defense, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz and his staff to introduce the activities of ISCA and its promotion of moderate Islam throughout the world.

February 2002

Signed Memorandum of Understanding with State Minister of Indonesia on the building of civil society infrastructure and the promotion of traditional Islam.

February 2002

Met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Youth for Malaysia to discuss issues facing the Muslim world after 9-11.

September 2001

Advised numerous government agencies on issues of national security as it relates to radical religious insurgents, both domestically and abroad.

April 2001

Led a hundred-member delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan as a guest of the President of Uzbekistan.

September 2000

Delegate to the UNESCO conference on inter-religious dialogue in Uzbekistan.

August 2000

Met with His Excellency President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan.

April 2000

Keynote speaker at Central Asia–Caucasus Institute (CACI) of Johns Hopkins University conference on The Emergence of Religious Extremism in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

January 2000

Met with U.S. President Bill Clinton at a White House event in honor of Ramadan.

November 1999

Joined U.S. Congressional representatives in generating nationwide support for an official stamp recognizing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

February 1999

Hosted by President Aslan Maskhadov of Chechnya on three week fact-finding mission to Grozny and surrounding war-torn areas; shared findings with various government agencies and political analysts.

Chaired the 2nd International Islamic Unity Conference in Washington, DC.

Major Achievments

Founded 23 Sufi study and meeting centers in the U.S. and Canada.

Founded the Islamic Supreme Council of America, a religious organization dedicated to the dissemination of informative material on Islam and the presentation of an authentic, scholarly Islamic viewpoint on world affairs.

Established As-Sunna Foundation of America for developing, publishing and organizing conferences to provide classical Islamic education.

Works closely with the government and people of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore to restore traditional Sufi practices and prevent the increase of religious radicals in the region.

Chairman of the highly successful International Islamic Unity Conference, whose second conference took place in Washington, DC from August 7-9, 1998.

Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine - 5 years in research and writing, 1500 pp. 7-volume, set describes Islamic beliefs according to the classical approach of the major schools of jurisprudence and doctrine.